Temperature regulator



Aug. 16, 1938. .1. v. GIESLER El AL TEMPERATURE REGULATOR Filed Oct. 28, 1935 Patented Aug. 16, 1938 UNITED STATES 12,127,059 7 TEMPERATURE REGULATOR Jean v. Giesler and John E. Dube, Knoxville,

Tenn., asslgnors to The Fulton Sylphon' Company, Knoxville, Team, a corporation of Del- Application October 28, 1935, Serial No. 47,186

IClaim.

cooling medium through main and by-pass conduits under diilerent temperature conditions.

Temperature regulators for internal combus tion engines which predetermine the circulation 10f cooling medium between main and by-pass ,conduits are well known, and it has heretoforebeen the practiceto provide such a regulator in the form of a pair of valves each of which is. ,closedonly when the other is wide open. In the customary construction of regulators of the type under consideration this relationship between" the valves is made necessary by the iact that seating valves are employed so that the engagement of either valve with its seat constitutes a stop preventing further movement of the other valve. Thus engagement of the bypass valve with its seat prevents further opening of the valve in the main line, and this requires that the bypass valve not engage its seat until the valve in the main line has reached its wide open position. Conversely, the by-pass valve is opened as soon as the main valve starts to move toward its closed position. Thus the by-pass valve is open to varying degrees throughout the stroke of the main valve.

A by-pass is desirable because of the continuous circulation of water provided thereby, avoiding tendencies for overheating at any portion of the system, but as soon as the temperature of the cooling medium has risen to that degree at. which it is desirable that some of the circulation take place through the radiator need for continuous circulation through the by-pass no longer exists. Moreover, if the circulation is established solely through the radiator soon after'the main valve starts to open, a closer temperature control can be maintained because of the fact that all of the circulation is thereafter niaintained through one conduit and at arate determined by the degree of opening of one valve.

It is an object of this invention to provide a regulator of the type characterized wherein the by-pass valve is closed promptly after the main valve starts to open, and remains closed throughout the remainder of the opening'stroke of the 50, main valve;

.'Another object of this invention is to provide a regulator of the type characterized whereby a closer regulation of the temperature of the cool-,

ing medium may .be obtained bycompelling all sage except when the main valve is at or closely adjacent to its seat.

ther objects will appear as the description of the invention proceeds.

The invention is capable of receiving a variety oi mechanical expressions, onev of which is shown on the accompanying drawing, but it is to be expressly understood that the drawing is for purposes of illustration only, and is not to be construed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had to the appended claim for that purpose. e

Referring in detail to the drawing, wherein the same r'e'ierence characters are employed to designate corresponding parts of the several flgures-,

Fig. l isa'n axial section of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an axial section of the embodiment oi Fig. 1 .taken on a plane at right angles thereto: and 5 Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line l3 of Fig. 1.

In the form shown, a casing Ill of any suitable size, construction and material, is provided with a passage Ii, adapted to communicate with the main circuit for the cooling medium, preferably that including a radiator, and with a passage l2, adapted to communicate with a by-pass in a manner well understood in the art. As shown, said casing ill is of a form suitable for mounting the regulator so that the thermostat thereof maydepend into the water jacket of the engine, said casing being shown as provided with apertures It by which it may be bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the engine head or to a suitable extension of the engine jacket, but it is to be expressly understood that the present invention may be incorporated in a structure suitable for installation at any other appropriate place in the cooling system. Casing Ill is provided with an interior wall It having an aperture l5 and its end I6 is provided with an aperture I'I to receive the regulator to be described.

The temperature regulator per se is preferably formed as a readily attachable and detachable unit which may be secured in the casing III in any suitable way, but it is to be expressly understood that the. invention is not restricted to the useoi a regulator that is mountable as a seli-' contained unit, as one or more of the relatively stationary elements, as the outer member of the by-pass valve, the support for the thermostat, 'etc., may ii preferred be made integral with or separately attached to the casing it;

In the form shown, a generally tubular member 18 has a cylindrical extension I! of reduced diameter and of a size adapted to fit snugly in the aperture l5. At its opposite end said tubular member I8 is flanged or otherwise suitably formed so as to fit snugly in the aperture H, as shown at 23, and the same is secured fixedly therein'in/ any suitable way. The wall of said member i8 is provided with a suitable number of apertures 2| which maybe variously disposed around" the circumference of said wall and in in the member l8 and which at its intermediate I portion is suitably shaped or formed so as to have fixedly attached thereto the stationary end wall 23 of a thermostat 24 of any suitable character and construction. As illustrated, said thermostat 24 is formed by an expansible and collapsible deeply corrugated tubular metal wall or bellows 25 having one end integral with or suitaby attached to said stationary end wall 23 and having its opposite end suitably secured to a movable end wall 26. Attached to said movable end wall 26 in any suitable way is a valve stem 21, here shown as provided with a central aperture 28 so as toaflord a filling opening for the thermostat. When the thermostat has been suitably charged passage 26 may be sealed in any suitable way, as by a ball and a block of solder indicated at 23. Attached to the opposite extremity of the valve stem 21 in any suitable way is: a valve member 33 of the poppet type here shown as provided with an integrally threaded hub 3| for attachment by threads to the end of the valve stem. As illustrated, said valve member is made bf dished formation so that it may have a line contact with the valve seat provided'by the tubular extremity I! of the member l3, but any other suitable form of valve may be employed.

Also attached to the valve stem 21 in any suitable way is a valve member 32 so constructed that it will open and close the apertures 2| in the member H as hereinafter explained. As shown, the apertures 2| are provided in diametrically opposite portions of the member l3 and the valve member 32 is therefore formed as a diametrically extending strip having at its opposite extremities valve portions 33 which extend axially of the regulator and are curved circumferentially so as to contact with the opposite arcuate portions of the member |3 containing the apertures 2|. The axially extending portions 33 are preferably of somewhat greater width than the apertures 2| sothat said apertures maybecompletely closed as hereinafter explained; I The central portion ofsaid member 32 has an apertured hub 34 by which it is mounted and retained on the valve stem 21, a washer 34' being illustrated as spacing said member from the movable end wall 23. of the thermostat. The axially extending portions 33 of member 32 are provided with apertures 36 designed to, register with the apertures 2|, and said portions are preferably of such length that when the valve member 33 is in engagement with its seat the circumferential row of apertures nearer the valve member 33 is cleared thereby, this construction reducing the number of apertures that need be formed in the member 32 to control As here shown, said support takes the apertures 2| and also. shortening the axial length of the regulator as will now appear.

Not only does the co-action of the member 32 with the member I! provide a guide for the rectilinear movements of the valve member 33 and its stem 23 as the thermostat 24 expands and contracts, but the engagement of the extremities of the axially extending portions 33 with the inwardly extending shoulder 36 of the member l3 constitutes a stop which predetermines the extent of'expansionof the thermostat 24 and of the opening movement of the valve 33. The novel principle of operation involved in a device embodying the present invention will appear from a description of the operation thereof. In the relationship of the parts shown in Fig. 1 the valve member 33 is in engagement with its seat and the circulation of water through the passage H is completely or substantially prevented. The cooling waterflows over the thermostat 24, however, and through the apertures 2| to the passage |2 because of the registering apertures 33 in the member 32 and the uncovered apertures 2| at the free ends of the axially extending portions 33. When the temperature of the cooling water has attained that degree at.

which it is desired that the main valve 33 be-' 'gins to open, expansion of the thermostat 24 not its seat. Continued expansion of the thermostat 24 continues the movement of the valve member 33 awayfrom its seat until the ends of the portions 33 engage the shoulder 36, but throughout the latter and major portion of the stroke of the valve member 33 the apertures 2| are maintained closed and substantially no circulation of the cooling medium through the by-pass can occur. Conversely, when the thermostat begins to contract the valve member 33 is caused to approach its seat, but not until the later and minor portion of the stroke 'of the valve member 33 are the apertures 2| uncovered, and therefore resumption'of circulation through the by-pass occurs .only Just before valve member 33 engages its seat.

By varying the axial dimension of the apertures 2| the proportionate part of the stroke of valve member 33 during which circulation through the by-pass is maintained can be nicely determined, and throughout theremainder oi the stroke of the valve member 33 the simulation is maintained only through the passage ll. As this. passage usually communicates with the radiator, the cooling eifect of the latter is obtained as to all of the circulating water throughout themajor portion of the stroke of the valve member 33, and the "rate of circulation thereof is nicely regulated by reason of the one valve controlling the same from the thermostat subiected to the temperature oi the circulating water.

It willtherefore be perceived that by the present invention a bar-p888 regulator has been provided whereby the by-pass is active only for that part of the 'strokeof the main valve wherein the main valve is at or adjacent to its seat, and throughout the remaindenpf the stroke of said main valve the entire circulation is maintained 1 through the radiator and under the control of the one valve.

'While the embodiment of the invention illustrated on the drawing has been described with considerable particularity, it is to be expressly understood that the invention is not to be restricted thereto, as the same is capable of receiving a variety of mechanical expressions. The construction illustrated and described possesses the advantagethat the member I 8, the thermostat support 22, the sleeve valve member 32 and the main valve member 30 or one or more of them,f may be formed of sheet metal, and therefore the structure is simple and inexpensive to produce. It is to be understood, however, that the parts of the structure may be made in any other suitable way if preferred. Itwill also be apparent that the shape, size and construction of the parts maybe widely varied, other forms of thermostat, valve members, housings, etc.,

may be employed, and numerous changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and proportion of parts, without departing from the spirit of this invention. Reference is therefore to .be had to the appended claim for .a definition of the invention.

What is claimed is:

In a temperature regulator for the cooling system of an internal combustion engine, a casing adapted to be secured to the water jacket of the engine, a passage in said casing adapted to communicate with the main circuit for the cooling medium, a second passage in said casing adapted to communicate with a by-pass, an apertured tubular member carried within said casing separating said first named passage and said second named passage, a spider secured to said tubular site arcuate internal portions of said tubular member carried by said valve stem, theapertures in said second valve member being designed to register with the apertures in said tubular member only when said first named valve member is substantially closed and thereby open communication with said second named passage whereby the apertures in said second named valve member cease to register with the apertures in said tubular member as soon as said first named valve member starts substantially 'on its opening stroke.

. JEAN V. GIESLER.

JOHN E. DUBE. 

